rooms

THE best hotels in the country have been revealed and one even has rooms for under £70 a night.

It has also been praised for being family-friendly and sits on the estate of a stately home that appeared in the film, Pride and Prejudice.

The Times has revealed its ’50 best places to stay in 2026′ and The Hide was declared the winner for ‘great-value’.

The cosy 19th century hotel was formerly a Premier Inn, before being converted and reopened in October 2025.

The Hide sits on the Chatsworth Estate in the rolling Peak District hills – so guests can enjoy magnificent views.

The Times praised it highly and said: “It’s laid-back and unpretentious while still offering Chatsworth hospitality including produce from the estate farm, curated art on the walls and bespoke textiles in the bedrooms plus hand-painted room numbers.”

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It was awarded the title of ‘Great-value winner’ with rooms starting from £69.

They added: “The idea is that all are welcome – dogs, children, walkers in muddy boots.”

The hotel has a mix of bright and spacious rooms from doubles to triple, quad, bunk rooms and accessible ones too.

Each come with a double or king size bed, power shower and free Wi-Fi.

Meanwhile the triple or bunk rooms are suited towards families of three or four.

Guests can eat in from the All Day Dining menu available, with options such as fish and chips and beef and ale pie, as well as stone baked pizzas, burgers, steak, salads and BBQ ribs.

During the summer months, The Hide opens up its patio for outdoor dining with a pizza oven and BBQ.

There’s even a fire pit for s’mores – guests can get a sharing board for two for £10.

The breakfast buffet option starts from £15.95, or there are cook to order options including The Full Hide (essentially a full English).

There’s also a veggie option, pancakes and waffles too.

Sunday lunch is from £18 per person with a choice of Chatsworth beef, roast chicken, lamb or butternut squash, spinach and chestnut wellington.

As The Hide sits on the Chatsworth Estate, it’s easy for staying guests to explore the house.

Chatsworth House was built in the 1600s and famously appeared in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice as Mr Darcy’s house, Pemberley.

It has also appeared on screen in The Duchess and Peaky Blinders.

Guests can buy a multi-entry ticket to Chatsworth to use throughout their stay, for less than the cost of a single day ticket.

This can be added to your booking or bought while at the hotel.

Chatsworth House is around a 15 minute drive away from The Hide.

On the grounds of Chatsworth House there’s also a farmyard and adventure playground.

At the farm are small animals like pigs, horses, goats and guinea pigs.

The playground has ladders, a climbing wall, rope bridges and racing slides – there’s also a zip wire, swings, and a giant sand play area

Tickets can be bought from £10 for both adults and children.

The Hide is a 23-minute drive from Matlock Bath which is known for being a seaside-themed town that’s nowhere near the coast.

Visitors strolling along the River Derwent will feel like they’re by the seaside as it’s lined with fish and chip shops, ice cream parlours and arcades.

You can get beautiful cliff-top views over the water, and there are boat parades too – also known as the Matlock Bath Illuminations.

The nearest city is Sheffield and it’s a 17-minute walk to Chesterfield.

For more hotels near The Hide, this hotel was named the best in the UK has Peak District views and guests say is ‘worth every penny’.

And here are some very affordable hotels that are better than a five-star – by a holiday expert who’s visited more than 200.

THE WORLD’S first Hey Duggee themed hotel rooms are launching at a UK theme park next month.

The beloved BBC preschool series, which features a friendly dog and his Squirrel Club, will soon have its own themed rooms at Alton Towers theme park.

Launching March 14, fans of Hey Duggee will be able to stay in rooms that bring the Duggee Clubhouse to life.

There will be one standard room and one suite, with each able to sleep up to five guests.

Each room will feature a double bed with a bespoke headboard, themed TV and furniture and even a dedicated children’s area with bunk beds inspired by the Squirrel Club.

Each space will also be full of familiar faces from the show including Betty, Happy, Norrie, Tag and Roly.

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Kids will even be able to play a sensory game with elements from the series in the room.

For those with beady eyes, you’ll be able to spot characters hidden in corners too.

A one-night stay in March or April, in the Hey Duggee standard room costs from £343 a night and in the Hey Duggee suite, from £450.

Included in the room are tea and coffee making facilities, a bottle warmer, cot, iron and ironing board and toiletries.

You will also get a full-English breakfast, free parking and access to nine-hole golf.

And throughout the day and evening, the hotel hosts activities as well, such as a tots disco, stargazing and live shows.

It is worth noting though, that theme park tickets are not included in this price.

If you want to head into the theme park, standard entry which includes access to CBeebies Land costs £34 when booked in advance online.

You can also grab a £29 toddler and parent pass, with children under 90cm tall visiting for free.

Alton Towers is already home to a Hey Duggee themed interactive sensory play area in CBeebies Land, where kids can meet Duggee and collect a Big Adventure Badge.

There’s also Hey Duggee Live, where fans can help Duggee, Roly, Betty and Happy discover the mystery DJ in Big Fun Showtime.

The CBeebies Land Hotel is designed for young families at Alton Towers and features a number of other themed rooms, such as Bluey, Bing, In the Night Garden, Octonauts and Something Special.

Guests staying in the hotel also get to meet some of their favourite CBeebies characters.

Natasha Spence, Events Director – Live Entertainment at BBC Studios, said: “These world-first Hey Duggee themed hotel rooms bring the Duggee Clubhouse to life in a truly immersive way.

“It’s a wonderful extension of the show that allows fans and families to continue the fun, imagination and adventure beyond the screen and we’re delighted to be working with Alton Towers Resort again to create something so special.”

Howard Ebison, Vice President of Alton Towers Resort said: “What better way for fans to relax and continue the adventures after a fun-filled day at CBeebies Land than with a stay in our world-first Hey Duggee themed rooms.

“We have an exciting year ahead in 2026 at Alton Towers Resort for families and this themed addition to CBeebies Land Hotel is the latest example of our commitment to unforgettable memories and immersive experiences for families.”

The new Hey Duggee-themed rooms follow the announcement of the world’s first Bluey-themed rollercoaster which will open in CBeebies Land on March 28.

Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! will be based on the episode where Bluey and Bingo dress up as grannies called Janet and Rita, with the two characters causing chaos on the ride.

Ebison said: “Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! is all about celebrating energy, play and those everyday moments families love about the show.

“It’s playful, unexpected and unmistakably Bluey – and we can’t wait to welcome families from March 28 to experience the world’s first Bluey coaster right here at Alton Towers Resort.”

In other theme park news, you can get a year’s free entry to 20 of UK’s top theme parks and attractions for less than cost of one chocolate bar a week.

Plus, there’s a European theme park that feels like the ‘Eden Project meets Disney’ and it is getting two new rides this summer.

Airbnb has gained popularity over the years for its cozy and unique places to stay across the world, but one user of the app is ‘begging’ hosts to stop using 1 thing

An Airbnb user is “begging” hosts to stop using 1 thing in their rooms, calling it “weird” and “uncomfortable”.

When visiting new towns, cities or countries, people have different ideas of where they would like to stay.Some people prefer the convenience of a well-placed hotel where you know you’re going to get a comfy and clean room with a number of amenities, such as a hairdryer and even a kettle for hot drinks.

Others, however, prefer to stay in an Airbnb, which are homely and often have even more perks, such as an entire kitchen, a hot tub or even a balcony, depending on where you stay.

There is no right or wrong way to travel, but one Airbnb user is asking hosts of properties and rooms to stop using one thing in their bedrooms that they find ‘weird’.

The user took to Reddit to write the post titled “Hosts: please, for the love of five stars and good repeat guests….”

The post read: ” Don’t use microfiber bedsheets. They don’t stay put. Unless you get into bed and immediately become corpse-like, the whole thing gets wrinkled and baggy almost immediately.

“They don’t breathe. No matter how nice and cool the ambient temperature is, inside the sheets is uncomfortable.

“It’s weirdly warm on the skin in the same way sleeping in a thin plastic bag is. Actually, that’s exactly what sleeping in microfiber sheets feels like, minus the crinkly sounds.

“They feel cheap. Yes they don’t wrinkle, yes they’re smooth to the touch, but so is a painter’s tarp. Basic cotton sheets—they don’t even have to be of a high thread count—will fix this! That is all.”

Dozens of people agreed with the poster after noticing a number of hotels also moving away from cotton sheets.

One person said: “Plastic sheets are the worst! Cotton sheets. Hell, most hotels only have 350 threadcount cotton sheets. All you “need” per say.

“I’m with you though. I cannot stand microfiber, anything with polyester or rayon or any of that plastic rooted fibers.”

A second added: “I am a host and sometimes a guest and fully agree, nothing worse than microfiber or polyester sheets, I only use linen or cotton.“And for pillows and duvet cover just feather and down. They can actually be washed and drycleaned and are so much more comfortable.”A third said: “I totally agree. I recently stayed at a VERY expensive AirBnB in Sonoma, CA and they had microfiber sheets! I hate them. Automatic deduction of a star in the review.”

LONDON has a new cheap hotel chain – and it’s already a huge success in Europe.

BOB W joined the scene back in 2019 , followed by its first hotel in the UK capital in 2024.

It’s a take on pared back hotels, close to an Airbnb but without the hidden fees, as well as much loved extras like gyms, luggage lockers and breakfast options.

I stayed at the newest hotel, Bob W Hyde Park, which only opened earlier this year, and paid £59 for a room for two people.

This was with the five per cent discount you can get when signing up to the free Inner Circle membership of the hotel.

It’s a short walk from Queensway tube station, as well as close to Paddington train station.

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I stayed at the grand 172-year-old hotel that is ‘London’s best connected’

Everything is done online, via the website or app, where you’re sent codes to get access to the building and room.

As it is a blend of Airbnb and B&B, but without all the much hated bits of each, this means you can forget the steep cleaning fees – you just pay the room cost.

Before I arrived, I received a phone call: “We’re so sorry but we’ve had to downgrade your room from a spacious to a compact. We will refund the difference but we’re really sorry.”

Slightly frustrating but, as a solo traveller, no biggie (apart from the fact they were the same price, so no refund for me).

However, everything else? Smooth as anything.

Arriving at 3:30pm, I easily entered the building – it is in the Henry Hotel but with Bob W posters to reassure you you’re in the right place.

There’s no lobby for guests, although there was a man behind the desk for the hotel guests themselves.

I personally love a lobby reception, as I’m often down there when my key doesn’t work, I have questions about the area or just need someone on hand.

But if you are someone who hates the awkward interactions then its the hotel for you.

Another nice touch within the lobby filled with sofas and chairs was a cupboard with free extras, such as toilet roll, ear plugs and spare tea and and coffee pods, as well as leaflets and London hotel guides.

The room was perfect too – clean, spacious, and modern.

A coffee pod machine and kettle were joined by complimentary towels, as well as a hairdryer, ironing board and safe, along with a huge TV.

Despite being the ‘compact’ room, it had a desk for working too. 

The bathroom looked recently renovated with a big walk in shower and complimentary toiletries.

Some of the hotels have added extras too, like kitchenettes and washing areas, which make them ideal for longer stays.

One downside was that it comes with “complimentary gym access,” but this was just a pass to one that was 45 minutes away at another Bob W hotel, so I didn’t end up going.

Breakfast is extra – I paid £13 – and it includes food and drink at a choice of cafes as well, although only up to this price (any bill over £13, the difference needs to be covered).

If you are on a budget you can easily skip this and just buy some snacks at a nearby bakery or corner shop, but if you want a proper breakfast, it definitely wasn’t overpriced.

I also loved getting to know the cafe owner, as it was a proper local caf so ended up chatting for ages.

So what’s the verdict?

I was seriously impressed with the whole process. Emails were sent promptly, check in was easy, the rooms were clean and the location can’t be beaten.

One of the biggest problems with Airbnbs is the lack of luggage storage, especially if need somewhere to leave it before a flight or train, so I’m glad this wasn’t a problem here.

Even with the smaller niggles, a room for £30 each in central London? I’m not sure I’ve seen a price like that in years – at least for a place as chic as this.

Other cheap dates still available:

• March 3-4 at Bob W Earls Court – £61 a night (£30.50 each)
• March 16-17 at Bob W London Olympia – £79 a night (£39.50 each)
• March 25-26 at Bob W London Kensington – £77 a night (£38.50 each)
• April 12-13 at Bob W London Holland Park – £76 a night (£38 each)

We’ve found another cheap hotel in London where you sleep in a private pod.

And here are our top 100 cheap hotels in the UK.